Don't Say Goodbye
by Fading Life
Summary: "Don't say goodbye." Mikey's just trying to lighten the mood, but what happens when nobody will allow him to? Leo, Raph, and Don all say things they shouldn't say, causing Mikey to leave the lair. Mikey is forced to fight a battle alone. Will they be able to save their baby brother from the enemy? What if the enemy IS their baby brother? "Please don't die!"
1. Chapter 1: Tension

**_Mikey's Pov:_**

Looking around the room you could see the tension in the air like a thick fog. Sensei had left on a mediation trip before this all happened which only made it harder to deal with seeing as everyone was on edge. Right now Donnie was searching through the fridge muttering under his breath, Leo was sharpening his Katanas with a look of detachment and slight annoyance, and Raph was watching a tv show with the volume louder than normal. I just stood there at the door to the dojo, not knowing if I wanted to try cracking a joke or leave the room entirely.

It all started about a month ago when we had an unexpected run in with some foot ninja. Normally we were easily able to beat the living shell out of them, but this time we'd been badly outnumbered. Basically, we barely got away, Leo forced a retreat and Raph got pissed off. I had received a heavy injury on my right shoulder during the fight. I hadn't told Donnie due to the confusion, but that was probably a mistake, it now looked infected and I was afraid to tell them because they were already on edge. I had it bandaged and no one seemed to pay any mind to it... But it still hurt. At first Donnie was on my side trying to help keep the piece, but Leo and Raphs constant fighting had gotten to him. The only words spoken lately, were enraged accusations. _Enough is enough!_ I finally decided.

I walked over to Raph and plopped down beside him on the couch. He simply ignored me and continued to watch... Whatever it was he was watching.

"Hey Raphy, what's with the long face? You look like someone ate the last slice of pizza." I said teasingly. This earned me a glare. _Well, at least he's not ignoring me._

"Buzz off Mikey, and don't call me Raphy." He all but growled. He returned his attention to the tv and turned it up a bit more. This gained the attention of Leo.

"Geez Raph, could you possibly turn it any louder." Leo said with a bit of venom in his tone.

"I'm sorry, is it too loud? I'll turn it down for ya." Raph spoke sarcastically rolling his eyes and turned it up even more. _Ah oh, this isn't going to end well. _I looked at Leo nervously.

"Shell Raph, this is the exact same reason why we lost to the foot clan in the first place! You NEVER listen!" Leo accused. Raph instantly got up and stormed over towards Leo, leaving the tv blaring. The look on Raph's face was that of utter outrage. I ducked my head down, already knowing the outcome of this fight wasn't going to be good.

"Oh, so this is all MY fault? And I suppose it had nothing to do with you fearless leader?" Ralph's voice rose in volume to the point he was almost yelling. He stuck a finger out at Leo's plastron as if to prove a point.

"What are you trying to say?" Leo asked defensively.

"I'm just saying that if ya were all better fighters then maybe I wouldn't have to save ya shells every 5 minutes!" Raph yelled. I looked over to Donnie, whom looked as though he was about to snap. _Oh crap! This is getting seriously bad!_

"See, it's this kind of attitude of yours that makes you so intolerable! You think your so strong? Who kicks your shell every time we spare?" Leo Shoved Raph back a bit due to his unnecessary closeness.

In turn Raph grabbed Leo by his plastron. "And what makes ya think I couldn't beat ya, I've beaten ya plenty of times! In fact..." Donnie interrupted.

"Shut up!" Donnie yelled. Both Leo and Raph turned their attention over to him. "You think you guys are the only ones who have anything to say? If you had just followed my calculations we wouldn't have been in such a mess! But nooooo, you had to go and do things your own ways. It's all of your faults! If you'd only listened to me!" Now even Donnie was fighting. _Shell, how did things get this bad? How do I fix this?_

"Dudes, chill." I tried, but was entirely ignored. They were all arguing, yelling at each other as the tv blared on. The room couldn't possibly get any louder. My head began pounding, I felt sick, and my shoulder REALLY hurt. _I AM SO SICK OF THIS!_

"WOULD YOU GUYS JUST CHILL!" I all but screamed. All heads turned to me in surprise. "Why can't you guys just stop fighting already? It's been a month! A MONTH! Just GET OVER it!" At this point my head really hurt and my shoulder was throbbing. We all stood there in awkward silence for a moment, (besides the tv) Leo was the first one to speak up.

"Geez Mikey, it does matter, it means we need to train harder... Especially you. You never take things seriously, your always making insults as your fighting, do you even care if we win?" Leo glared at me. His words must have struck something in Raph because he joined in

"Yeah Mikey, if anything YOUR dragging the team down. Your nothing but dead weight." Raph said glaring at me as well. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I looked over at Donnie for back up, pleading to him for support... There was none to be found. They all looked at me disapprovingly. It hurt, it really hurt.

"You can't be serious? You all blame me now?" As I asked this I looked into their faces, searching for the answer, praying it was a lie. But all they reflected was disapproval, anger, and resentment.

"Well Mikey, your kinda always goofing off, even during practice and fights. It's not exactly hard to see that your the weakest." Donnie said all matter-of-fact like.

My heart broke. _Even Donnie? _They all blamed me for our loss. As if if I hadn't been there, they might've won. They all thought I was weak. They didn't want me here. My BROTHERS didn't want me here.

"Fine." I said as I left. None of them bothered to stop me, which only made me leave faster. I could feel the sting of tears welling up in my eyes. It hurt to know that they thought of me that way, but what hurt most was the look of hatred in their eyes...

**_To be continued..._**


	2. Chapter 2: Falling

**_Donnie's Pov:_**

After Mikey had left, the lair had become uncomfortably quiet (except for the tv). We all stood in stunned silence. The tension that had filled the room earlier was now replaced with confusion. It was very unlike Mikey to leave like that without cracking a joke, being over dramatic, or being kicked out. Looking over at Leo I saw a slight look of concern and guilt in his eyes, Raph too, his rage had turned to regret. It was true, Mikey was very immature and was the weakest of all of us... But it still didn't justify what we had said. I looked down at the ground feeling guilt well up into me as well.

"I think we went a little too far guys..." Leo said quietly, barely audible over the sound of the tv.

"Yeah..." I replied in agreement, there wasn't much to be said in this kind of a situation.

**_Mikey's Pov:_**

After leaving the lair I went topside, moving out of the safety of the sewers. It was a little early for me to be out, the sun had not yet completely set making the sky appear in an array of colors. The winter air stung my face and the thin layer of snow froze my feet. It was now mid December, almost time for my favorite holiday... Except... With the way things were at home lately, I doubted this would be a Christmas worth remembering. I payed no mind to the things going on in the streets below me nor to the shadow that followed.

I continued jumping from roof top to roof top heading for my favorite place. I had only discovered my new secret hangout a few days ago after my last one was blown up by the Kraang (funny story about that actually). My new hang out was at an old abandoned warehouse. The view from the rooftop was amazing and looked over the entire city (not to mention I could be as loud as I wanted since all the surrounding buildings were vacant).

_What makes them think I'm a weak fighter? I'm just as strong as any of them!_ It hurt to think my brothers thought I was a liability. I loved my brothers a lot, so hearing that broke my heart. My cheeks were stained with tears and my sight was a bit blurry. To top it off my head was pounding and i felt dizzy... Not to mention my shoulder was screaming in pain. _I can be strong too!_ I thought about it for a moment. _Actually... They have a point... _I sighed. I was always joking around, but the reason I did that was because it gave me a sense of safety.

Buried in my thoughts, i was too busy to notice the shadow closing in on me.

I heard a loud crash, drawing my attention out of my thoughts. I stopped in my tracks, hearing the sound of aggravated yelling bellow. Carefully I snuck towards the edge of the roof top I was currently inhabiting, peaking over the edge and down into an ally way.

_Foot soldiers!_ Looking down below I estimated there to be about thirty of them. _Crap! I should call Raph! _Reaching for my shell cell I suddenly remembered our previous fight..._ Weak... He had called me weak... _I looked down at my Shell cell before decidedly putting it back and peaking back over the edge.

"Why haven't you caught any of the turtles yet? It shouldn't be that hard for you to capture them! Aim for the weak orange bandana'd one if you have to! Just find them!" It wasn't hard to tell to whom that voice belonged.

_Karai! _This was getting more and more serious. _And really? even SHE thinks I'm weak? _It made me a bit mad.

I unknowingly leaned closer trying to hear the conversation a little better after her voice hushed some. As I strained to hear Karai, I felt something brush against my shoulder, but I had no time to react... I was falling...

**_To be continued..._**


	3. Chapter 3: In this alone

**_Raph's Pov:_**

It had only been about an hour since Mikey left. Don was now in his lab cursing and repairing something that had malfunctioned, Leo was in his room meditating, and I, I was in the dojo beating the stuffing out of my punching bag.

"Dammit Mikey!" I was mad at Mikey for not brushing off our insults like his usual self, I was furious that Mikey had run off without coming back yet (though it had only been a short while), and I was downright enraged with myself for hurting Mikey that way. Mikey was ALWAYS happy and smiling, so why did he look so broken when he ran out earlier?

_Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!_ I repeated over and over again in my head. I kept beating the crap out of my punching bag until finally I hit it so hard that the hinges snapped, causing the worn out bag to skid across the dojo.

Aggravated I decided to leave the lair and find some purple dragon thugs or foot ninja to beat up instead. _No use thinking about it now._

**_Mikey's Pov:_**

"Ugh..." That had had to be the worst landing of my life. After being shoved, I fell four stories and landed in a fashion similar to a belly flop. Needless to say... It HURT!

"Shell..." I gasped, pushing myself onto my hands and knees, feeling like I'd broken half my ribs. All my blood rushed to my head making me feel dizzy and like I REALLY needed to puke.

"Well isn't this a surprise? How nice of you to drop in." Being disoriented from the fall, I'd completely forgotten where I was and it took me a moment of blank staring to realize who said that.

"Ka... Karai..." I gasped in a thin voice due to the lack of oxygen... And maybe a bit of fear... I was surrounded by foot ninja, to many for me to fight back normally let alone in this state.

"You've already lost, make this Easier for the both of us and hand yourself in." Karai said in an authority like tone. As she said this, the foot ninja advanced putting the distances between me and the closest foot ninja a mere 2 feet away.

_Shell! I'm mince meat!_ I was alone, none of my brothers could protect me, I couldn't protect me... _'Weak'._ Raph's words echoed in my mind. I shook my head._ I'm not weak, I can do this alone._

"Well?" She smirked, thinking that she had won.

"No." I whispered. She didn't hear, but it didn't matter, I had said it more to myself than to anyone else.

In an instant I rose to my feet and tore out my nunchakus hitting the first foot ninja in the face and knocking down two more with him . In response they all charged at me, overwhelming me with their numbers. _Oh no you don't! _I continued to hit, wack, smash, and kick the foot ninja as they swarmed with unrelenting force.

"You really are the dumb one." Karai spoke, "destroy him!"

**_Leo's Pov:_**

"Where's Raph?" I walked into Donnie's lab where he was currently fiddling with what looked to be a toaster (Not even going to ask).

"Heck if I know." Don replied with boredom, as though he didn't care at all. "Why?"

"... I think it's about time we stop this useless fighting." Don looked up at me in surprise. "I mean, Mikey has a point, we've been fighting about something that happened a month ago that wasn't even very serious to begin with. It's about time we stopped. " I looked at don who looked at me as if I was crazy.

"You're just NOW realizing this!?" Don all but screamed, catching me by surprise. "Do you have any idea how hard Mikey and I tried to keep the peace? In fact..." Don trailed off. I looked at Don confused for a moment, waiting for him to continue. Instead he face palmed and said, "Shell... I owe Mikey an apology."

"What for?" I questioned.

"I promised Mikey that we'd be in this together." Seeing my still confused face he continued. "I promised him I'd help keep the peace, but instead I got caught up in it too and even yelled at him."

Now that I thought about it, we had all been jerks to Mikey. He was only trying to calm us down, and yet we all blamed him._ Shell._

" How about we go find Raph and then apologize to Mikey." Don looked up at me again, this time a smile splayed on his face.

"Yeah."

**_To Be Continued..._**


	4. Chapter 4: Nicaragua

**_Mikey's Pov:_**

I withheld the coughing fit that was wanting to start up leaving me dizzy and gasping for air. I had only barely managed to escape from Karai and the foot ninja. I could hear them searching, they were close, but even they wouldn't think to search in a dumpster.

_This is so humiliating! If they could see me now, they'd laugh!_ I thought as I sat amongst the trash. Everything hurt. If all my ribs weren't broken before, they sure as heck were now. I could tell my left arm was broken, a deep cut stretched from my left knee to my hip, I had a gash under my left eye (just barely missing it), most all my ribs were broken, my right ankle was sprained, and now I had a huge migraine... Oh, not to mention my right shoulder, it hurt the most. I didn't dare look at my shoulder, already knowing it probably belonged in a horror show.

_Maybe I should head back? _After listening to the movement and scurrying outside my little safe haven, I decided that might not be the best idea. I'd lost a ton of blood, I knew I needed to get back and have Donnie nurse me back to health, but the very thought of it hurt. _'Weak'... 'Nuisance'... 'Liability'... _Those were all things they had called me before... And they were right...

_Ugh..._ I felt sick. My stomach twisted in agony, almost causing me to puke, the fact that I was surrounded by garbage didn't help at all. My head was banging and my lungs were on fire. _Maybe I shouldn't have done that?_ I had managed to fight off countless of the foot ninja... Before reinforcements came...

I shuddered. Laying my head back against the wall of the dumpster, it was so cold that I could feel my body starting to tingle in numbness. _Ah, that feels good. Maybe I'll just go to sleep..._

I closed my eyes, but before I could finally sleep off my weariness... I felt something... Like I was being watched...

**_? Pov:_**

I had met him a month ago. In search of a host I had stumbled across a fight. There were four of them fighting against many others. But one stuck out more than the rest, the one with the orange bandana... 'Mikey' as they called him.

After the fight, I had followed him. I could tell he had a lot of potential, more than the others... But none of them recognized it, in fact, they all looked down on him. They called him weak... Although I was not one to have compassion, this made me mad.

He had so much potential, so much strength! And yet he was so... Vulnerable... The thought made me smile.

After he ran out of the...'lair', he had spotted the enemy's they'd been fighting before. He wanted to become stronger, wanted to prove his incompetent companions wrong. It was so easy, I just needed to show him his weakness so I could give him strength. MY strength.

Although I didn't have much of a physical form, I could still manage such a minor activity. So I pushed him off the roof. After fighting helplessly surely he'd be desperate for strength, no matter the source.

I followed him in his pathetic state to his hiding place. He didn't seem to notice it, but I had to conceal his tracks as he was leaving a blood trail in the white powder called 'snow'.

He sat in his hiding place of garbage with his eyes closed, unaware of my presence. Finally it was time...

I materialized to make myself visible to him... To 'Mikey'. At first he was still, but then his eyes shot open and were instantly glued to mine. He made no movement, no sound, just stared in... Horror? I don't know, I didn't really understand the emotions of mortals. But it doesn't matter anyway.

"Who... Who are you?" The one called 'Mikey' asked. I smiled at him.

"I am Nicaragua."

**_To Be Continued..._**


	5. Chapter 5: As you wish

**_Sorry for the really, REALLY, long wait. I got caught up in life and took forever to update. I'm also sorry about this chapter being so short. I've already started the next chapter and its going to be a lot longer, I will release the chapter this upcoming Thursday, since starting today until then, I will likely not have any wifi (going to a cabin with family). I plan to have at LEAST 1 new chapter out every week. Again, I'm very sorry for the long wait. Thanks for all the support! XD ._**

**_Leo's Pov:_**

Wherever Raph was, he wasn't picking up his cell. Which worried and angered me at the same time. Either he was to busy bashing skulls to answer his cell, or he was in trouble... I liked the first option better.

Before calling Mikey I wanted to meet with Raph and end this useless fighting so that we could properly apologize. We had all said things we shouldn't have to Mikey, and it was only right that we all apologize to him together.

"Donnie, Do you think you can use Raphs shell cell to track him?" I asked as I dialed Raph's number for the umpteenth time. For a moment Don looked at me with an expression that said 'duh'.

"Of course I can." Don pulled out his laptop (which I have no idea where he even keeps it) and started typing something. Finally a map came up on the screen with a blinking red dot. "That's where he is," Don pointed to the dot, which was moving across the screen.

"Where is that exactly?"

**_Mikey's Pov:_**

My eyes shot open to meet the eyes of some horror film monster. There was no accurate way to describe what it was. It had glowing blood red eyes and a snout of razor sharp teeth twisted up into a cruel grin, aside from that its body was a swirl of shadows. Until now I never thought evil had a form but here it was, and it was hideous.

"Who... Who are you?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper and a lot more shaky than I would have liked. I was utterly horrified.

"I am Nicaragua." The creature replied. I was a little taken aback. I didn't really expect 'it' to answer, I kind of expected it to eat my soul or tear into my flesh. But I guess it was for the best that it didn't.

"What do you want with me?" I choked out, my eyes not leaving the smile of a thousand knives. In answer Nicaragua simply chuckled a deep and threatening chuckle.

"The question is not what I want with you, but what you want with you?" Nicaragua said.

Before I had the chance to ask what he meant, a loud thud from outside the dumpster snapped me back to reality. I had completely forgotten that the foot were after me, and that I was even in a dumpster. Looking back at Nicaragua I didn't feel so scared anymore. Instead, his presence was somehow... Comforting?

"What is it that you want most?" Nicaragua asked. I instantly thought about my brothers._ 'Weak'..._

"I want to become stronger." I said with confidence. Nicaragua's smile widened.

"As you wish."

**_To be continued..._**


	6. Chapter 6: Is this strength?

_**Raph's Pov:**_

"Just my luck! When I need something ta' punch, there's nothin'!" It had been hours since I had left the layer and yet no purple dragons, no foot, not even the Kraang were out and about. The lack of a punching bag only added to my anger.

I stopped to look at the horizon, it was that weird combination of pink and orange that happened just before the sun peeked over the ocean. I hadn't realized it, but it was time to head back already. Which meant Mikey would be back by now too.

"Shell, I've been out all night and haven't had one head to bash in!?" I was none to happy about this. I was just about to turn to leave when I heard my shell cell ring for the umpteenth time._ Leo..._ annoyed I took it out and answered.

"Sheesh, STOP CALLING! I'm on my way back ok!" I yelled into the device. I was already in a mood to kill, I didn't need Leo nagging me to boot.

_"Is Mikey with you?"_ Leo asked from the other end, sounding panicked. Things all of a sudden got serious.

"Huh? What do ya mean, isn't he back at the layer with you guys yet?" I asked, even though it was obvious by Leo's question he was not.

_"We haven't heard from him since he stormed out. He's not answering his shell cell either, and Don isn't being able to track Mikey's signal." But... Mikey always picks up his cell on the first ring. _Just then a cold shiver ran down my spine.

"Hold on, I'm gonna go find Mikey." I hung up without waiting for a reply. I already had a very bad feeling about this.

_**Mikey's Pov:**_

As the last foot soldier fell I sank to my knees. My mind was foggy but I faintly recalled a serge of energy and strength as I was incased in darkness. I don't know why but I smiled while looking around me at all the lifeless foot ninja, I had taken out thirty or so all by myself. I started to laugh as I got back up to beat the shell out of my already downed enemy's.

_What's going on? Why am I doing this? I've already won, I should just leave already. Why do I feel so numb? Is this what strength feels like?_

All of a sudden I took a Katana from the ground, and went over to a foot ninja who was barely clinging onto consciousness. My mind was working a mile a minute as I rose the Katana above my head. _Stop!_ I rose it higher, aiming right down the center of the enemy ninja._ Stop!_ I smirked as the helpless ninja looked up at me with pleading eyes. _Stop!_ I steadied the blade and began to swing it down. _STOP!_

_**To be continued...**_


	7. Chapter 7: Searching

_**Leo's Pov:**_

I was with Don in his lab when Raph hung up with me saying he was going to go looking for Mikey. Though the very idea was ludicrous, the sun should have been up by now, making travel difficult without being spotted. And to add to that, he'd have no idea where to look and New York was NOT a small place. With any luck Mikey wouldn't be too far.

I clicked my tongue, annoyed with Raph's reckless behavior, though not much different from his usual.

"I'll go call April, Casey, and Mr. Murakami to see if they know where Mikey is," I finally decided. Don was still adjusting things on the tracker, trying to find Mikey's whereabouts. It wasn't like Mikey to pull a stunt like this, so likely hood was he was with someone else... Even if that someone was Karai. I shuddered at the thought. Mikey's fine! He's just still upset about earlier.

I left the lab to go make the calls as not to disturb Don's concentration.

_**Donnie's Pov:**_

The tracker in Mikey's shell cell wasn't letting off any signal, meaning either it was broken into a billion pieces, or there was some sort of interference. Concidering how I made them almost impervious to interference, it was probably the first. But how it must have broke, that was the question. I didn't like any of the scenarios going through my head. _Focus! We need to find Mikey!_

I continued trying to connect to Mikey's cell. Even in the event of it being broken, it was still possible to track the pieces. Suddenly the tracker started to beep, meaning it had connected to Mikey's signal.

"Yes! I've done it!" Leo obviously heard my triumphant laugh since he came running into the lab.

"You've found Mikey!? Where is he!?" Leo iquired excitedly.

I looked to the screen of the tracker still smiling like an idiot. My smile faded...

_**Raph's Pov:**_

It had only been ten or so minutes since I hung up with Leo when my cell began to ring again. Not wasting a moment, I whipped it out to see if they'd found where Mikey was, or better yet, have it be Mikey himself. To my dismay it was only Leo...

"Did ya find him yet?" I kept my voice hushed as I hid at the end of an alley way while people past by on the street. It was surprisingly busy for being still so early in the morning.

_"Yes, but it doesn't look good. I'll send you the coordinates and we'll meet you there."_ At that he hung up. I couldn't help but notice the slight tremble in his voice. This got me worried._ Leo never loses his composure..._ As soon as I got the location I climbed the nearest fire escape and set off at brake neck pace_. So what if I get spotted? No one would see me long enough to know what I was. Plus, Mikey comes first!_

_**To be continued...**_


	8. Chapter 8: Ringtone

_**Raph's Pov:**_

_What the shell Mikey!? Where the shell are you!?_ It had taken me some time to get to the designated place, about an hour to be exact, and there was still no sign of the Mikester. _Where could that knuckleheaded moron be?_ I had managed to get here without too much trouble but since it was so far away many things could have taken place between now and then.

I had just begun my search of the surrounding area when I noticed blood in the snow down one of the alleyways. All my senses numbed.

"Mi... Mikey?" I swiftly followed the path of bloody snow and the hint of foot prints hidden by the fresh layer of snow. There was something weird about the foot prints, it almost looked as if they'd been dragging their left leg, and there was a considerably larger amount of blood along that side. When the foot prints ended I looked up shocked to see 2 dozen or so foot ninja lying either dead or unconsence in an otherwise empty alley. There had obviously been a serious fight here, seeing how both ninjas and weapons were lying on the ground everywhere. Not to mention the blood...

I crouched down next to one of the enemy ninja to check for a pulse. Upon further inspection they were alive along with probably all of the others. As I was in the alleyway I noticed that none of of the enemy ninja seemed to be bleeding all that heavily, which meant whoever or whatever did this was the one with the worst injuries. _Mikey!_

I continued searching the place noticing how the whole area seemed to be abandoned, there was no movement and no loud bustling of busy people attending their everyday busy schedules.

All of a sudden I heard a loud thud from somewhere behind me. I spun on my heels drawing my sai's, positioning myself for a fight.

"Raph, chill, it's just us." Leo said, panting slightly. Donnie quickly followed, jumping down from a fire escape.

"Sheesh, What took ya so long?" I asked teasingly.

"Well, you know, it's only on the complete opposite side of town!" Don yelled, completely unammused and still slightly out of breath.

"That aside, have you found Mikey yet?" Leo asked hopefull, but he probably already knew the answer.

"... No..." I answered a little hesitantly. Leo sighed.

"Guess we better start looking." Leo said, voice already full of dread and defeat. Knowing Leo, he was probably blaming himself for Mikey running out earlier. But most of it was my fault. I started to think about all the things I said to Mikey, as well as the things I didn't say but thought instead. _Shell... I'm a horrible brother! One thing's for sure, I need to apologize to Mikey!_

_**Donnie's Pov:**_

It had been hours of thorough searching, and yet... _NOTHING! No Mikey, not even a hint to where he might have gone._ I could tell that both Raph's and Leo's spirits were falling, and I wasn't feeling much better. To make it worse is that it just kept on snowing, covering all evidence in a thick sheet of white powder. My bones were numb to the core making me shiver even though I was wearing my winter clothes. Mikey had left without anything to keep himself warm and the longer the day went on, the more dangerous of a situation he would be in. Being primarily turtles, we were cold blooded, meaning extensive periods of cold could seriously injure or kill us.

When we first arived, it had looked like the aftermath of a horror film. Foot ninja lay everywhere unconsence, and the snow was stained crimson with blood... So much blood...

"We betta head back before we all freeze ta death. Who knows, maybe the knuckleheads back at the lair by now?" Raph suggested, optimistically, though I doubted it. We had all tried to call Mikey countless times, but with the same results every time. I had already explained to Raph and Leo why it was bad for Mikey to be here. Using some nano chips and bugs I managed to track the whereabouts of a few foot soldiers a couple weeks back and find out some information. basically, this was foot territory... Due to the feud that had been going on in between us brothers for the past month, I never got to telling them about the foots secret hideouts.

I sighed, "Ok, let's head back." I attempted to call Mikey one last time. This time it connected... When I heard Mikey's ring tone it seemed kind of eerily close. I turned to look behind me back down the alleyway, it was a dead end with nothing but a dumpster in it. I dropped my cell as I heard the echos of the ring tone bounce of the surrounding building walls.

"M... Mikey?"

_**To be continued...**_


	9. Chapter 9: Help

_**Mikey's Pov:**_

_It hurts so bad... my head hurts... I feel dizzy... I'm going to throw up... it's so cold... My shoulders on fire... why cant i feel my leg? why am I covered in blood? So Much blood... Who's blood is it? Is... is that... is that my blood?_

My mind was swimming with confusion. I was heading somewhere but I couldn't bring myself to remember where or why I was going there in the first place, just that I needed to get there, and quickly.

_That's right... I'm bleeding... I'm injured... I was in a fight... I need to get help... Donnie... where's Donnie? I need to get back to the lair... that's right! That's where I'm going!_

Bits and pieces started to come back to me as I continued to limp along in the sewers, dragging my left leg as I walked. I had left the lair and gotten myself attacked by... by who? _Oh, yes! The foot! I was attacked by the foot clan. Wait... why did I leave by myself in the first place?_

As I contemplated the reason for my leaving the lair, I tripped over my own feet, falling into the sewage. That brought the feeling back into my leg with full force.

I couldn't keep the tears from my eyes as I cried out in pain. The sewer water sloshed into the deep cut on my thigh, no doubt infecting the wound._ This... this is bad... I need help..._

"You need help?" I heard a foreign voice ask me.

"H... help... me..." I managed to rasp out between sobs as I lay there in the sewage water. I didn't care who it was, I just needed someone to take the pain away.

"As you wish."

_**Nicaragua's Pov:**_

'Mikey' was truly pitiful as he lied in the sewage sobbing. But he had brought it upon himself, stabbing his own leg instead of the enemy ninja. His mind was so jumbled that it was hard to read, but I could hear the thoughts that strongly raged on in his brain, such as his desire to be saved. Seeing how I'd grown a little found of 'Mikey' I decided to help him out. After all, Mikey was my new host, I had already decided that.

"You need help? I asked without much restraint.

In answer he rasped out in a barely audible voice, "H... help... me..." to which I replied.

"As you wish."

_**To be continued...**_


	10. Chapter 10: Reduced to a headache

_**Donnie's Pov:**_

The familiar ring tone echoed from the dumpster down the dead end alleyway.

"M... Mikey?" I dropped my cell and stood in stunned silence for a moment before snapping back to reality and dashing to the dumpster. The moment I got to it I threw the top open and peered inside. I sighed with both relief and dissapointment. He wasn't here, but his shell cell was... I reached in and fished the cell out of the garbage, snapping it open to see if it was functioning correctly.

"Did ya find something?" Raph called from just behind me.

"Yes," I turned to face him and lifted up the little phone. " It's Mikey's cell..."

_**Mikey's Pov:**_

I had made it to the lair just fine and was now bandaging my injuries. Right after the voice called Nicaragua said 'As you wish' the pain subsided and was exchanged with a dull headache. Though the pain was gone, I still needed to address the wounds and keep them from infection. And hopefully, with a lot of luck, keep the others from noticing.

"Man this looks bad. I probably look like crud right now." I said to myself as I began to bandage my leg. I would definately end up having a scar there if I didn't get it stitched up properly. But I was no doctor, and there was no way Id let my brothers know about this. After all, they already thought I was weak...

"That is why you should have just killed them." Nicaragua murmured. Looking a little less than satisfied. Apparently he had entered my body and given me his strength, he was also the reason why I wasn't in excruciating pain right now. Though at the moment he was out of my body, for the most part, he stayed attached to me by my shadow, looking a lot like a dark version of me.

"I already told you, it is against the ninja way to harm an already downed enemy. Plus all life is precious, I will not become a murderer!" I said as I dressed my leg with bandages.

"Do you really think your brothers won't notice you covered in bandages." Nicaragua asked skeptically, dodging the topic.

I looked down at myself, finally realizing the obvious. _I look like a mummy..._

Just then Nicaragua murged back into my body, taking away my breath for a split second, and sending my mind into darkness.

_**Raph's Pov:**_

The second my eyes focused in on the device in Donnie's hand my heart dropped. Mikey really had been here... had...

"Let's get back to the lair." Leo said in a dark voice. He was waiting for us to follow him.

"How can ya do that when Mikey's still out there somewhere!? He's probably laying around somewhere hurt or worse, and you wanna go back!?" I all but screeched, feeling the blood rush to my head in a furious boil.

"Listen, we need to head back, warm up, eat, rest, and come up with a plan. We're not going to find anyone if we're cold, tired, and randomly searching." Leo stated.

"Leo's right, as much as I hate to admit it, if Mikey's in trouble then it won't help him if we aren't at our very best." Donnie pitched in solemnly. Though I knew they were right, I couldn't bring myself to agree.

"Fine, if yer gonna head back, be my guest. As for me, I'm gonna find Mikey." But before I could leave, Leo grabbed my wrist and spun me around to face him.""

"Look," he hissed as he glared at me as if to strangle me. "I want to find Mikey as much as anybody, but we need a plan, and quite frankly, I don't want anyone else vanishing. Are we clear?" I nodded shocked by the venom in his eyes.

"Good." Leo said, releasing his hold on me. "Now let's head back."

_**To be continued...**_


	11. Chapter 11: Cheshire Grin

_**Mikey's Pov:**_

My mind was hazy for a moment as I stood up and used the chair I had been sitting on in Don's lab to support me. I had blacked out for a moment, my consciousness going to a very dark and lonely place for a few seconds, and then I opened my eyes to realize I was still in Donnie's lab. The beginning of a migraine started to form and all the feeling in my body came back making me groan in pain.

_Shell, I need to get to my room before my Bros come back! If I don't, I'll get the lecture of a lifetime, not to mention Donnie will go into full on doctor mode, and quite frankly, I don't feel like getting their disapproving glares right now._

I contimplated what would happen when they spotted me with all these injuries as I staggered to the door of Donnie's lab, dragging my leg behind me. Then, all of a sudden, it dawned on me. _Where the heck are they? It's already passed noon and we're not supposed to leave the lair during the day, and there is no possible way any of them would have been able to sleep through the noise I made when I entered as well as they should already be up and doing stuff. Not to mention Leo never sleeps or relaxes until all of us are accounted for. Unless... maybe they just don't care about me anymore..._

The thought brought tears to my eyes blurring my vission and making me stop in my tracks for a split second. _There's no way right? They still love me... right?_ A lump began to form in my throat. I needed to know.

"D... Donnie? Leo? Raph?" I called out in a small voice stumbling through the living room heading towards the bedrooms. No one answered. Again I tried, this time yelling, "Donnie! Leo! Raph!" Still no answer.

_'Give it a rest, they don't care about you anymore. In fact they never did.'_ A voice said inside my head, but it didn't feel like my own. _Nicaragua?_ I questioned inwardly._ 'Yes?'_ He answered. _Where are you? 'I am inside of you. I see what you see and hear what you hear, your thoughts are mine and mine are yours.' What's going on? Why aren't they answering? 'Because they don't care and they don't love you. To them you are only a bother, a nuisance, a liability.' N... no. That's not true. 'To them you are weak.'_

I stood awkwardly in the center of the living room looking down at my feet. I could see blood seeping through the bandages on my left leg. Tears dripped from my eyes and plopped to the floor as I stood in silence.

"I... want... to be... stronger." I spoke between sobs. I could feel a cheshire cat grin spread over my lips as I then said, "As you wish."

_**Raph's Pov:**_

We were walking through the sewers almost at the lair, trying to come up with some sort of plan, and then...

"Donnie! Leo! Raph!" Mikey's voice echoed throughout the sewers, coming from the direction of the Lair. It sounded like he was about to cry, but it was hard to tell with the slight distortion from the echoing.

"Mikey!?" I yelled back, breaking into a full on sprint. I couldn't believe it, he'd made it back home and all I wanted to do right now was squeeze the stuffing out of him. Not that I'd ever let him know that. I was barely able to contain my excitement. The others stood stunned for a moment before swiftly following behind me. We were all smiling like idiots and Donnie broke into a joyful laugh which was soon accompanied by Leo's and my own. Though we were decently close, it would take about 45 seconds to get there at full speed. In my opinion, that was way too long, I wanted to see him now.

**Little did I know how much damage could be done in those 45 seconds.**

_**To be continued...**_


	12. Chapter 12: Missing Injuries

_**Donnie's Pov:**_

After catching up with Raph, we stumbled into the lair all at once, falling to the floor in a fit of laughter. Right there, at the center of the room was Mikey. Raph was the first to spring from the ground and wrap Mikey in a tight hug, before Leo and I followed suit.

"Where the shell have ya been you Knucklehead!?" Raph heaved angrily yet relieved.

After a moment more of tight hugs we backed up to hear what Mikey had to say. But upon backing up I noticed many things. Mikey was covered in crimson stained bandages and looked as if he'd lost far too much blood. Looking behind him, he'd left a trail of red. Also He was unusually pale, which was saying something since he already had a pale complection to begin with. But the thing that struck me the most was the creepy unusually placed smile on his face and the wild look in his eyes and the way he just stood there, almost motionless. Something was definately wrong.

I shared a knowing look with Leo. Raph was still unaware of the problem, yapping away at how Mikey is such a knucklehead, and how he shouldn't scare them like that. Cutting in, I grabbed Mikey by the wrist and began leading him into my lab. Leo and Raph following, Raph finally noticing how bad of shape Mikey was in.

"Mikey, show me where you're hurt. And also... are you feeling alright?" I added, taking into account his distant smile. Concerned over the blood loss many calculations ran through my head. He was definately going to need a blood transfusion, probably needed stitches from the looks of how much blood had soaked through the bandages, his hand was frozen as I lead him to the table, indicating he might have a slight case of hypothermia. He likely had some broken ribs or bones, maybe even a punctured lung. There was no end to the impications running through my head, that he might have.

"I'm fine." Mikey said almost too smoothly as I sat him down to be examined. This was quite unlike him, considering how Mikey over dramatized everthing.

"The heck ya are! Look at yourself! Your covered in blood!" Raph yelled, now furious. As to why, I didn't know.

"Wow, chill, it's nothing." Mikey replied beginning to bicker with Raph. I began to unbandaged him to see the damage I'd have to deal with. After taking bandage after bandage off, I stopped.

"Mikey... whose... whose blood is this?" I questioned while looking him straight in the face. Raph stopped his little squible with Mike, taken aback by my words, and now searching Mikey's body for a wound. There was none...

"Like I said, I'm fine." Mikey smiled that creepy smile again.

_**Raph's Pov:**_

I was so ANGRY! How DARE someone hurt my little brother Mikey. I could have just up and left to beat the living shell out of the ones who hurt him. And yet he still insisted he was fine? It just made everything worse! Mikey complained about EVERYTHING! Someone had to have done something real horrible for Mike to say he was ok, even when he wasn't!

I continued fighting Mikey as Don unraveled his blood stained bandages. For a split second, I noticed Don stop, his face paling as he looked up at Mikey.

"Mikey... whose... whose blood is this?" Stunned I grabbed one of Mikey's previously bandaged arms and studied it. There was still some blood on it but... there were no cuts...

"Like I said, I'm fine." I looked up at Mikey's face to see a chesshire grin that creeped me out to no end. This wasn't like Mikey.

_**To be continued...**_


End file.
